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Shoppers Stop, Innoviti partner to pioneer Dual-Display UPI

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Fashion retail chain Shoppers Stop and payment solutions provider Innoviti have come up with a pioneering concept of Dual-Display UPI that makes it safer and faster for consumers to pay through UPI while shopping at Shoppers Stop outlets.

Payments through UPI in multi-lane retail have been slow to take off with less than 4% penetration, as static QRs are hard to reconcile in modern trade and open to amount entry errors by consumers. They also delay checkout due to time taken by consumer to enter amount, and time taken by cashier to validate approval.

Dual-Display UPI addresses this by using advanced technology to create a Dynamic QR that carries the payment amount, merchant credentials and a secure transaction token.  The Dynamic QR is presented on a large display facing the consumer at the checkout.  It also displays any offers that may be running on UPI payments for that transaction. A consumer can scan this QR while the cashier is packing goods. The offer if applicable is automatically applied, with the secure transaction token automatically reconciling the bill straight-through reconciliation. The customer receives the acknowledgement on the display, along with details of offer applied. Parallelizing the customer payment and cashier packing cuts the transaction time of a typical UPI transaction from about ~20 seconds to 10 seconds. The entire experience is touchless with neither the cashier nor customer having to touch the display, minimizing contact surface and interaction time between them. In addition to safety by virtue of being contactless, this feature aims to increase UPI transactions share at Shoppers Stop from the current 4%, further modernizing the checkout while saving time and effort for cashier and customer.

“Payments through UPI have accelerated in the past few years due to a) massive marketing by consumer UPI apps and b) convenience for consumers.  However, in multi-lane retail static QRs have failed to deliver.  With Dual-Display UPI, Innoviti is bringing yet another innovation to organized retail that when combined with marketing promotions can drive a modern, superior, and rewarding checkout experience to consumers.  Innoviti is committed to designing advanced technology solutions that can help our merchant, bank, and brand partners acquire and retain consumers faster and easier than possible otherwise,” said Hemant Taware, Chief Business Officer, Merchant Ecosystem Development, Innoviti.

“Payments through Dual-Display UPI, designed by Innoviti, will immensely benefit Shoppers Stop due to the flexibility, convenience, and security it provides, besides a contactless authentication, leading to faster and safer checkout. Shoppers Stop is dedicated to constantly improving the shopping experience for our customers through such innovations,” said Karunakaran M, Chief Financial Officer, Shoppers Stop.

Here comes the new era of retailing and inventory management with Acoustic tags

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ToneTag, a proximity communication company and sound network, has worked closely with scientists from Indian Institute of Sciences to develop ingenious ‘Acoustic tags’ which are nanotech-enabled stickers with audio representations of data. It can be put on plastics, paper or any material and works as a tracking technology for products.

These tags emit a sound with product details that can be easily captured by any reader or even mobile phones, hence eliminating the need for expensive reader infrastructure which comes with RFID or magnetic tags. The ease of use and security features of Acoustic tags also keeps it ahead of other asset tracking solutions based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra-wideband (UWB).

The Acoustic tags support high level of security where data can be encrypted and password protected. These tags can help retailers with effective pilferage management and getting product level as well as aisle level inventory details without individually scanning the products.

Retail customers can also experience the magic of Acoustic tags, as it enables faster checkouts and seamless shopping journey by completely eliminating the need for scanning each products barcode for billing.

Prof. Rudra Pratap, Centre for Nano Science & Engineering, IISc Bangalore, said, “Our partnership with ToneTag cements the belief that research and commercial applications go hand in hand. It also restates the fact that Indian companies, especially startups are capable of building world-class innovative products in India, eliminating the dependency on western countries for innovations. We believe that Acoustic tags will play an important role in addressing the inventory management and tracking issues faced by the retail sector globally. Apart from this, we are also exploring a lot of interesting use-cases of this technology for home automation and smart cities.”

“ToneTag technology and IISc expertise have resulted in the birth of much-needed technological innovation in retail since World War II, in the form of Acoustic tags. Without the need for investing in expensive readers, the Acoustic tags can automate the inventory and logistics management process through improved efficiency, automatic identification and quicker data capture, by providing quick access to information, while reducing operating and labour costs,” said Kumar Abhishek, Founder and CEO – ToneTag.

LED driver solutions from ON Semiconductor add intelligence to connected lighting

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ON Semiconductor has announced two new devices designed to enhance the performance of connected lighting systems. The NCL31000 and NCL31001 LED drivers allow manufacturers to develop LED luminaires with light-based positioning technology and visible light communication. By adding data intelligence and accurate positioning (up to 30 cm), these solutions will revolutionize lighting in a variety of spaces including supermarkets, warehouses, hospitals, and airports.

The NCL31000 from ON Semiconductor is part of an extensive LED driver family and is designed specifically for luminaire applications. At the heart of the device is a highly energy efficient buck LED driver that supports both high-bandwidth analog dimming and PWM dimming down to zero current. The driver includes an integrated 3V3 fixed DC-DC converter and a further adjustable DC-DC (2.5 – 24V), which can be used to power system components such as sensing devices and the microcontroller. Integrating these power solutions in the driver dramatically simplifies system design while boosting efficiency.

The accurate linear dimming enables visible light communication (VLC), allowing for the development of indoor light-based positioning systems that can be safely implemented in many locations where RF-based solutions cannot be used (e.g., hazardous spaces such as mines, or RF sensitive areas such as in hospitals or on board aircrafts). The ability to dim to true dark with an accuracy of 0.1% ensures that there is no ghost light at the lowest dim settings. Highly accurate diagnostics further reduce system complexity by integrating a 10-bit analog to digital converter (ADC). The ADC measures system voltages, currents and temperature to monitor LED and overall system efficiency, and detect any anomalies. A serial (I2C / SPI) interface makes all diagnostic data available to an external MCU that can monitor and control the intelligent lighting system. The architecture of the NCL31000 ensures excellent EMI performance – in tests it has been shown to be >14 dB below the requirements of CISPR15 / EN55015.

ON Semiconductor is also announcing the availability of the NCL31001 as a companion driver to the NCL31000. The addition of the NCL31001 creates a solution that supports multi-string lighting applications, including those with colour control. The NCL31001 offers the same features as the NCL31000 except for the DC-DC converters to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Michel De Mey, Vice President, Industrial Solutions at ON Semiconductor, said, “There is a growing demand for lighting intelligence as LED luminaire manufacturers recognize how these features improve convenience for users while reducing operating expenses and energy consumption. By supporting these features alongside market-leading efficiency and functionality, the NCL31000 and NCL31001 will open a variety of new opportunities for smart lighting systems.”

The new LED drivers are part of a comprehensive portfolio of Connected Lighting solutions from ON Semiconductor including the Connected Lighting Platform, which features multiple connectivity options (Bluetooth Low Energy and Power over Ethernet (PoE)) for smart LED control.

Boult Audio ProBass Escape neckband with 10 hours of battery life launched at Rs 999

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Homegrown brand Boult Audio has launched a neckband-style Bluetooth headset called ProBass Escape in India. The headset has been aesthetically designed keeping in mind the youth of today, as well as the young executive who frequently travels.

The light-weight design is apt for any occasion – be it work, fun or party. Choose between the funky dual-tone Blue-Black or Red-Black variants, or simply settle for the classic all-black, the ProBass Escape helps you match your OOTD with ease.

The earbuds are ergonomically designed and use magnets to help keep the wires from tangling and avoid losing the headphones when not in use. Built using a dust-, water- and sweat-resistant body, the Boult Audio ProBass Escape is ready for any activity – be it your morning runs or sweaty workouts, or be it those humid and fumy, packed local trains.

The Boult Audio ProBass Escape is built using the latest Bluetooth 5.0 wireless chip that allows faster pairing, superior connectivity range and efficient power saving. Featuring an in-built rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, you can enjoy music, movies or calls for as long as 10 hours, continuously, on a single full charge. And when exhausted, a simple rest on the charger will top up the battery to 100%, keeping it ready for action within 1.2 hours.

Each earbud is crafted with precision and a unique design and silicone tips and fins that fit snug into the ear for superior comfort and better passive noise cancellation. Additionally, the Boult Audio ProBass Escape features high fidelity drivers that produce extra bass, enhancing the overall audio performance by a huge margin.

The Boult Audio ProBass Escape will be available in Red, Blue and Black variants for an exclusive price of Rs 999 on Flipkart, starting today only.

HyLyt maximizes customer offering through integrated calendar inputs

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Enterprise team collaboration platform HyLyt has come up with an innovative technology that can integrate the saved calendar inputs through data and content management. This innovation comes in extension to the integration of data saved in cloud that the app designed in its last technology update.

Now the search engine of the app, using key words and advanced search techniques, will be able to read the calendar entries also along with cloud integrated data, pictures, video clips and normal file formats.

This is in continuation with the upgraded service being provided by the app, through which it can optimize its search options and converge similar information with multiple conditions on real time basis, thus providing search options across different file formats for fourteen different search criterions, which is a missing parameter in most of the similar platforms available currently.

Rajat Singhania, Founder of SocioRAC, HyLyt, said, “HyLyt aims to create a perfect ecosystem for the entrepreneurs and techies on the go, by creating a comprehensive save and search mechanism. Information management is becoming extremely difficult as we reduce dependency on the paper world and generate huge data every hour of our work. When an optimized search engine can look at all the saved files in any kind of format, it really helps the users save on time and do better data management.”

“Our latest offering is where we have been able integrate the calendar entries also with the search engine. Every such roll out will be a value addition for the users and we hope to continue to innovate in order to add value to the users of HyLyt. Technology is evolving every day and HyLyt is designed not to replace your current systems or other software, but to integrate and interlink the information saved in each of these products when we use them,” Singhania added.

Airtel, Tata Group announce collaboration for Made in India 5G

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Telecom major Airtel and Tata Group today announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G networks solutions for India. Tata Group has developed a ‘state of the art’ O-RAN based Radio & NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities and that of its partners. This will be available for commercial development starting Jan 2022.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) brings its global system integration expertise and helps align the end-to-end solution to both 3GPP and O-RAN standards, as the network and equipment are increasingly embedded into software.

Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the Government of India.

These ‘Made in India’ 5G product and solutions are aligned to global standards, and inter-operate with other products based on standard open interfaces and those defined by the O-RAN Alliance. The 5G solutions, once commercially proven in Airtel’s diverse and brownfield network will open export opportunities for India, which is now the second largest telecom market in the world.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said, “We are delighted to join forces with the Tata Group to make India a global hub for 5G and allied technologies. With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India is well positioned to build cutting edge solutions and applications for the world. This will also provide a massive boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination.”

N. Ganapathy Subramaniam from the Tata Group/ TCS, said, “As a Group, we are excited about the opportunity presented by 5G and adjacent possibilities. We are committed to building a world-class networking equipment and solutions business to address these opportunities in networking space. We are pleased to have Airtel as our customer in this initiative.”

Airtel is a board member of the O-RAN Alliance and is committed to explore and implement O-RAN based networks in India. Earlier this year, Airtel became the first telecom company in India to demonstrate 5G over its Live network in city of Hyderabad. The company has started 5G trials in major cities using spectrum allocated by the Department of Telecom.

The Tata Group’s telecom and media enterprises cater to the communication requirements of global business houses to SMEs, and from wholesale to home networks. Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) is a member of the O-RAN Alliance.

World Music Day: HiPi and &Pictures announce their latest challenge #DanceFullOn

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Short video platform HiPi has tied up with &Pictures to announce the latter’s #DanceFullOn contest. Started on June 19 and going all the way till June 23, the challenge presents dance lovers across the country with an opportunity to perform and recreate a 20-second hook step on HiPi. HiPi has partnered with the skilled dancer and Bollywood’s popular dance director, Piyush Bhagat, to specially choreograph and create the hook step, to the thumping beats of &Pictures’ song – On Nahi, Full On.

This challenge will give users a chance to become an instant social media sensation. The performances will be evaluated by Piyush Bhagat himself and the top 5 participants will take home cash prizes worth up to Rs 50,000.

Rohit Chadda, CEO, Zee Digital Publishing and CBO, HiPi, said, “We Indians love to dance and hum to the tunes of Bollywood music. On the occasion of World Music Day, we wanted to surprise our audience with a challenge #DanceFullOn that sees them recreate a unique hook step on our platform. With this challenge, we look forward to witnessing the best dancers from India express and impress one and all. We, at HiPi, are constantly looking for new ways to enhance our offerings and engage with our users.”

Ruchir Tiwari, Cluster Head, Hindi movie channels, ZEEL, said, “Music connects us in more ways than we can imagine. It often goes to represent and define a generation. The energetic and addictive beats of all the new &Pictures brand song ‘On Nahi, Full On hai’ will definitely connect with the youth. The #DanceFullOn challenge set to the song, is a great way to engage our viewers, and its aptly amplified by our collaboration with HiPi.”

To redefine the meaning of fun and entertainment, HiPi is already running a month-long #EntertainmentKiBaarish campaign that features tie-ups with renowned brands and allows users to engage with mind-blowing challenges across different genres and contests. The Dance Bangla Dance challenge is already live on the HiPi app that grants creators and viewers to win weekly prizes by performing a unique hook step as per the weekly dance theme, which is curated by the jury and mentors of Dance Bangla Dance. The #DanceFullOn contest is another addition to the overall #EntertainmentKiBaarish campaign, which gives users a chance to exhibit their delightful dance moves.

Whiz Co is the official talent partner for this collaboration.

World Music Day: Facebook gears up with a bundle of new initiatives for music enthusiasts in India

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Social media major Facebook today announced a bundle of new initiatives for music enthusiasts in the country including a week-long celebration for World Music Day from June 21 – June 27. Over 80 artists, singers, music composers across genres including film, classical, ghazals, pop, indie, rap, hip-hop, will be taking the virtual stage across Facebook and Instagram with an aim to make #MoreMusicTogether.

Music plays an instrumental role in enabling people to share, connect and express themselves across Facebook and Instagram; and help artists to tell their stories and reach new audiences through the creative use of our platforms. As part of the #MoreMusicTogether initiative, the company has partnered with artists, music publishers and labels to provide an engaging experience along with a range of features for music lovers to connect and create their personalized content.

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Paras Sharma, Director, Media Partnerships, Facebook India, said, “We have been working with partners from the Indian music industry to build unique social experiences and bring music into the ways people connect and share moments on Facebook and Instagram. The past few months have been difficult for many, but it’s been heartening to see how people have come together on our platforms to help each other. With the #MoreMusicTogether initiative, we are focused on enabling people to express themselves through music, and helping artists and fans to foster deeper connections.”

The line-up includes:

Virtual concerts on Facebook and Instagram: As an extension of Facebook’s ‘Social For Good’ initiative, over 80 artists including Amit Trivedi, Lucky Ali, Lisa Misha, Jassie Gill, B Praak, Arjun Kunnango, Euphoria, Zaeden, Rupam Islam, Sherry Maan, Stebin Ben, Mamta Sharma and many more will perform at a concert called ‘Live In Your Living Room’ across Instagram and Facebook. Slated from June 22 to 26, fans will be able to view and share their love for the live performances from 7-10 pm with a regional version featuring leading artists from the South from 5 – 7 pm.

New Music Launch: Popular artists from the music industry including Himesh Reshammiya, Stebin Ben, Gurnam Bhullar, Ritviz (who will be releasing his upcoming new album First on Reels), and many more, will be unveiling their new songs on Instagram/Facebook during the week

Independent Artists Program: Facebook is now making it easier for independent artists and creators to share their music across Facebook and Instagram products through the Facebook Independent Artist Program. The program and an easy music delivery process via distributor partners will enable artists to get their music everywhere that Facebook offers a music library — free of charge — including in Stories and Reels.

Paytm iPhone Bonanza: Pay electricity bill and get a chance to win an iPhone 12

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Homegrown digital financial services platform Paytm today announced the launch of the ‘iPhone Bonanza’ offer on electricity bill payments. Users who pay their electricity bills through the Paytm app between June 8 and July 8 will stand a chance to win an iPhone 12.

Winners will be notified via email and phone calls by July 31, and upon successful verification will be given a Paytm Mall voucher. The winners can log on to Paytm Mall, enter the voucher code and order the iPhone 12 for free.

To bring more convenience, Paytm recently enhanced the electricity bill payments experience with features such as 2-step instant payments and timely reminders through SMS and in-app notifications. Users need to simply choose their state and service provider, enter their bill number or customer account number and then make the payment. Additionally, users paying the electricity bill for the first time on Paytm will get a guaranteed cashback of up to Rs 50.

Paytm gives its users the flexibility to select their preferred payment mode from Paytm UPI, Paytm Wallet, Paytm Postpaid, debit and credit cards, or net banking.

“It is our constant endeavour to enable users with seamless digital payments services that help in enhancing the ease of living. We have onboarded electricity boards from every corner of the country ranging from Karnataka, Delhi, AP, Telangana to Lakshadweep, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, among others.  With our new UI and exciting offers, we are trying to reach new users across the country,” said a Paytm spokesperson.

“Gaming is one of the primary focus areas for Infinix now”

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With an aim to revolutionise the esports in the country and bring its excitement to the mainstream, Esports Premier League (ESPL), the India’s first-ever franchise-based esports tournament, has brought smartphone brand Infinix on board as the title sponsor for its inaugural edition. While the ongoing tournament seeks to tap into the growing landscape of esports in the country to help the competitive gaming community, it also presents a huge opportunity for Infinix Mobile to empower the users with value for money devices that can seamlessly take their game to the next level. Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix Mobile, shares with Ramesh Kumar Raja the benefits of this league and how they wish to establish Infinix as the best gaming smartphone brand in the world. Excerpts:

After cameras, gaming happens to be the next big thing for smartphone makers. How do you look at this emerging trend?

Gaming is indeed one of the biggest trends in the smartphone industry in 2021. The exponential growth in the gaming population backed by the rise in smartphone consumption in India has led us to become the 5th largest mobile gaming market across the world (as per Inmobi mobile gaming report 2021).

As per the recent report by CLSA, the mobile gaming market will touch $3 billion in India by 2023 from the current $1.3 billion. As the consumer base continues to increase amidst the pandemic, the industry will see further growth in this consumer segment, raising the demand for high-end features in smartphones for a better gaming experience. All these numbers and predictions clearly show that mobile gaming is truly here to stay and new-age smartphone companies like ours, need to focus our offerings as per this consumer pool.

Infinix-ESPL

How is Infinix Mobile helping smartphone gamers in India achieve the best possible experience?

There are more than 80% of committed gamers in India who are spending considerable hours playing games. The internet penetration in rural India has played a big role here. Women are also increasingly coming into the gaming fold. In fact, as per Inmobi mobile gaming report 2021, 43% of the gamers in India are females. Through our budget smartphones which are equipped with gaming-ready specs, we encourage these budding talents and first-time gamers to pursue their passion for mobile gaming.

Since 85% (as per Deloitte technology, media, and telecommunications predictions 2021) of the online gaming in India is smartphone intensive, our R&D teams work on newer and patented technology to offer the best-in-segment smartphones which can help Indian gamers to not only have a good user experience but also earn through participating in esports national tournaments like Esports Premier League (ESPL) as well as tap the potential to represent India on global platforms in the coming time. Our motive is to empower the users with value for money devices that can seamlessly take their game to the next level as well as equip them to compete in top-notch international tournaments too at the opportune time.

Our newly-launched Note-series and partnership with ESPL initiatives are just a few of the key steps we have taken in order to bring to our users’ a unique gaming experience with the thrill of the city-based franchise model for the first time in India.

“Our newly-launched Note-series and partnership with ESPL initiatives are just a few of the key steps we have taken in order to bring to our users’ a unique gaming experience with the thrill of the city-based franchise model for the first time in India”

There’s a lot of talk going on around the Dar-Link game boost technology offered by Infinix in recent smartphones. How it’s going to be a game-changer for you?

Yes, we have received an overwhelming response from our consumers and experts around Dar-Link game boost technology. This ultimate technology innovation enhances the system by improving the graphics display and touchscreen sensitivity. It enables our consumers to enjoy a gaming experience with eliminated screen tearing/stuttering, a responsive touch panel, actual colour reproduction, and no heating even after extended hours of play. The fact that it is available in our budget smartphone range, gives us an upper edge over other smartphone brands in the same price segment.

What are the other gaming-centric features that buyers can expect on the latest Infinix Note 10 series?

The Note 10 series comes with multiple upgrades and innovations specifically designed to give an unparalleled and exceptional gaming experience to our consumers. The devices are supported by our indigenous Dar-Link game boost technology which enhances the gaming interaction and visual experience in heavy-duty games like Call of Duty, Free Fire, Battlegrounds, Asphalt 9: Legends, etc. by preventing screen tearing, ensuring natural colour reproduction, elevating the performance of the touch panel, and managing the resource allocation between the game and the chipset efficiently to prevent heating from long gameplay hours. Both the smartphones, Note 10 and Note 10 Pro come with a high refresh rate, for a smooth interaction between the users’ fingers and the screen. They both have a 180Hz touch sampling rate that allows faster screen response for a better gaming experience.

To further ensure an uninterrupted experience in gaming and content consumption, Note 10 Pro will be the first in the segment to come with an 8GB RAM/ 256GB internal storage coupled with UFS 2.2 storage technology for better read and write speed and multi-tasking. Since gamers spend a lot of time looking into their screens, the Note-series phones have displays that are easy on the eyes and have been certified by world-renowned testing firm TUV Rheinland to reduce blue light’s harmful effects.

Tiger-Shroff-ESPL

Could you please share why Infinix Mobile partnered with India Today Gaming to present Esports Premier League 2021?

India is one of the biggest and fastest-growing smartphone markets globally. We are also the 5th largest mobile gaming market across the world, and it is estimated that 44% of India’s smartphone population will be playing games on their devices by 2022. These numbers clearly show that mobile gaming is truly here to stay and new-age smartphone companies like ours, need to focus our offerings as per this consumer pool.

Our partnership with Esports Premier League 2021 gives us a huge opportunity to engage with the millennial population of mobile gamers in the country and introduce them to our products which come packed with superior gaming technologies for a rich gaming experience. For instance, our recently-launched products like the Hot-series and now Note-series, not only come with first-in-the-segment features but also have been upgraded as per the needs and struggles that the gamers face while playing games on their smartphones. In the coming time, we would like to be known as the brand which delivers affordable smartphones that offer cutting-edge features.

“Our partnership with Esports Premier League 2021 gives us a huge opportunity to engage with the millennial population of mobile gamers in the country and introduce them to our products which come packed with superior gaming technologies for a rich gaming experience”

What is the most exciting aspect of ESPL 2021 for you?

With an award price of Rs 25 lakh, ESPL is going to be the biggest Free Fire tournament in India in 2021. Gamers from the entire country are going to participate in this tournament to showcase their gaming skills and later represent the country on an international level. Additionally, this is the first time Infinix has partnered in such an event and we are looking forward to gauging maximum engagement on the same. We will also be selecting our own Infinix team who’ll later get to play with the winning team. The whole experience along with the engagement with gamers at such a big platform will certainly help us understand the gaming audience in India better and come up with products specifically catering to them.

What’s your plan ahead in terms of gaming being an important part of Infinix smartphones?

As mentioned earlier, gaming is one of the primary focus areas for us now. We wish to establish Infinix as the best gaming smartphone brand in the world. In order to achieve this goal, we have introduced gaming-specific technologies like Dar-Link along with gaming-specific smartphone range like Hot-series and recently-launched Note 10 and Note 10 Pro. Our new products will certainly have upgrades specifically catering to this consumer base who always expect better and additional features from their smartphones.